The Concubine's Daughter Travels Through Time and Space and Takes the Road of Confrontation

The news that Lu Ling was given a sachet by the Empress Dowager spread throughout the palace immediately.

The old lady took the sachet and examined it carefully, her face full of smiles. "Good, our Lingjie is really promising." Originally, she was only thinking about Dingyuan Marquis' Mansion, but now it seems that this child's luck is even better than she thought.

Even Qin had to force a smile at Lu Ling at this moment, and said a lot of words of concern about her daily life, showing her magnanimity and kindness as a legitimate mother.

Only Zhang noticed Lingjie'er's strange expression. She took a sip of tea and changed the subject. "The eldest daughter of the Dingyuan family and the youngest daughter of the Lu family have also been summoned by the Queen today."

"Oh," the old lady blinked and gradually calmed down. Compared with the other two families, Lingjie'er's family background was indeed weaker. After all, Lingjie'er was born out of wedlock.

Qin's eyes flashed with contempt as she began to talk business. "Since Ling Jie'er has been so lucky to have the Empress Dowager's favor, the small side courtyard she lives in now is not spacious enough. It would be better to move her back. I happen to have a large courtyard vacant over there, and it will be cheaper when the nanny who teaches etiquette moves in."

The old lady nodded and said, "Let's do as you say." Then she continued, "Ask a doctor to prescribe some medicine to regulate your body."

Zhang frowned and couldn't help saying, "Sister Ling is still young. Here are some dietary recipes for conditioning the body that have been passed down from our ancestors. They are quite effective. In my opinion, there is no need to prescribe special medicine for her to take." She had heard her mother mention that the so-called conditioning of the body was actually the use of drugs to induce early menstruation, which was against nature and harmful to women.

The old lady looked at her daughter-in-law and said with great disapproval, "It is right for women in our harem to have a son as soon as possible. Lingjie is marrying the prince, so she should pay more attention to him."

This time, Qin stood by her sister-in-law and advised, "Food supplements are better than medicine supplements. They take longer to take effect but are safer. If you end up hurting yourself, it won't be worth it."

The prescriptions for conditioning her body all used precious herbs, and a set would cost at least ten taels of silver. A dose would take six months, so this alone would cost at least three thousand taels. In addition, she had to prepare a dowry for her, which was another expense.

Secretly, she didn't want Lu Ling to give birth to a child so early. After all the effort she had to become related to the royal family, what was the point if she gave birth to a child and ended up losing her life?

The old lady could only nod after hearing this. If she continued to insist, it would seem that she was unkind.

At the Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion, Mrs. Ma couldn't believe her ears. "You said that the Empress Dowager issued an edict to grant a marriage between Xu Hanlin's daughter and the Crown Prince?" Nanny Song wiped the sweat from her forehead and nodded. She knew what the lady was thinking.

"This - this is impossible! How could a noble Hanlin be willing to let his daughter be a concubine?" Mrs. Ma stood up and paced on the spot, muttering to herself.

"Because Xu Shiyun is willing." Zhao Qingbo walked in from outside with a cold expression.

Mrs. Ma looked at her eldest daughter, who was now a complete stranger to her, and asked anxiously in shock, "How did you know this?"

From Taoyuan Pavilion to Lanxia Pavilion, Zhao Qingbo told his mother everything he saw and heard in one breath. This was the ideal daughter-in-law she had chosen. A sarcastic smile appeared on Zhao Qingbo's lips.

Mrs. Ma staggered after hearing this and fell onto the kang, her face livid. “How dare you tease me like this?”

Zhao Qingbo sat down on the other side and pointed out the loophole in his mother's words, "She never said she wanted to marry Qingyu." It was all your wish, mother.

"I have something neither good nor bad to tell you, Mom. Do you want to hear it?" Zhao Qingbo looked at his mother with a calm expression.

"You tell me." Mrs. Ma pressed her aching forehead. The situation was beyond her control, and she had to reconsider Lu Ling.

"The Empress Dowager gave a sachet to Sister Lu." Zhao Qingbo seemed to know what his mother was thinking and spoke slowly.

Mrs. Ma suddenly opened her eyes and stared at her daughter in a daze, not uttering a word for a long time.

There was also a Fourth Prince. Mrs. Ma passed a letter to the Imperial Concubine with the last glimmer of hope. In the evening, the Imperial Concubine sent someone to bring a message. Mrs. Ma's face turned pale after hearing it - Lu Ling was actually asked by the Third Prince himself to the Empress Dowager!

Dusk was falling, and Qinghui Garden was pitch black. Nanny Song had been guarding the door of the main house until she heard a noise from inside the house. "Nanny, turn on the lights." A moment later, the room became bright.

Nanny Song tiptoed to the side of the lady and said, "Madam, do you want to set the table?"

Madam Ma looked at Nanny Song, a creepy smile appeared on her face, and her voice was hoarse, "Nanny, please help me with something."

Nanny Song shuddered and responded softly.

The female officials of Changchun Palace have been quite busy these days. They were ordered by the Empress Dowager to draft three imperial edicts, one for Dingyuanbo Mansion, the other for Prime Minister Mansion and Ping'anhou Mansion respectively.

Nanny Guizhi went to the Dingyuan Marquis's residence to deliver another oral order from the Empress Dowager, selecting Cui Lanxi as the Crown Prince's Zhaoxun, to enter the palace in three days. Compared to the lively and festive atmosphere at Hanshan Pavilion, Cui Lanxi's place seemed much quieter.

Zhou sat on the couch, her face flushed. "It's a blessing for you to be able to enter the palace and serve the future master, and it's also a blessing for our Cui family. Remember to be careful with your words and actions in the palace. When you give birth to a child in the future, you will be honored by your child. Don't forget to support your brother."

"Did you hear that? Don't forget your brother." Zhou poked her daughter's face with her finger and raised her voice.

She was a fourth-rank imperial concubine and could not compare to Zhao Qingbo, a first-rank imperial concubine.

Cui Lanxi looked at her mother and said softly, "My daughter heard that Zhuying was taken back by her mother."

Zhou's face froze, and she looked away unnaturally and said, "Your brother is in this state now, and Zhuying has his child. What if something happens? We must leave a descendant."

Cui Lanxi raised her hand and turned her mother's face so that she could look directly into her eyes. "Then mother must know what my brother has done. Why didn't she stop him?"

Zhou's face flushed red, and she slapped her daughter's hand away, stretching her neck and shouting, "That's your brother, the root of our Cui family. Besides, he is still a child and it's not uncommon for him to be naughty and ignorant. You have been sensible since you were young, so what's wrong with you being more tolerant! It's fine if you don't want to support him, but you find fault with your brother and really think you have become a phoenix from now on." After that, she left angrily.

Cui Lanxi laughed and then started crying. She crossed her arms and hugged her knees tightly.

After all, her daughter would be serving the prince in the future, so Zhou did not dare to offend her too much. In the evening, she personally cooked a table of dishes as an apology.

"Mother knows that what your brother did was wrong. When I return this time, I will take good care of him and make him kneel in the ancestral hall. You don't have to worry about it. It will be good for you if your brother passes the imperial examination in the future." Zhou smiled and put a piece of fish into her daughter's bowl.

Cui Lanxi placed her cool fingers gently on the back of her mother's hand and said softly, "What I did during the day was wrong. I shouldn't let the past affect my relationship with my brother. I won't do that again."

Seeing her daughter's obedient appearance, Zhou was very satisfied.